"Wha? Huh? Alex you didn't tell me you knew the like, hottest guy on EARTH!" Jen screeched, causing Alexandria and Justin both to cringe.

"Well, he's not THAT great." Alex mumbled, chuckling.

Justin looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "thanks."

"Oh MY GOD! GIRLS!" Jen looked over her shoulder to motion for her friends to walk over to them. "It's Justin Timberlake!" She half whispered, half screamed.

"Ohhhh God." Justin said in a nasty voice, they heard it and turned to give him a disgusted look.

Alex looked back and forth between them and decided to intervene. "Hey Justin, I need to talk to you about something. Now." She pulled on his arm until she had led him outside on the porch. She sat down on the front steps and motioned for him to do the same.

He plopped down putting his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry." Alexandria whispered.

Justin looked up and saw her running her finger across a crack in the wooden steps. She was concentrating on it.

"It's OK. I mean I'm use to it, I was just hoping not to have to worry about it tonight. But, it's hard to get away from it now-a-days."

"I bet. Listen; let's go inside. I'll try and calm Jen down. I mean she's never seemed to be like that when I was around her. I'm guessing she's just a bit shocked." Alex pushed herself off the steps and waited for Justin to do the same.

They strolled back into the house. Jen was looking at the floor kinda ashamed. The girls that were once there had disappeared.

"Hey Jen. Where did your friends go?" Justin asked. Alex looked up at him shocked.

Jen jerked her head up startled and smiled briefly at him. "Oh, umm, they went out back. I uhh, I just want to say I'm sorry for like, freaking out. It's just; I've never met anyone famous before. Especially not anyone that I would actually care about meeting."

Justin sighed and grinned. "It's quite all right." He walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "So tell me Jen, what are you studying?"

Alex watched amused and in shock as he led Jennifer out of the foyer of the house and further into the living room where she could hear her brothers voice coming from.

She shook her head and mumbled under her breath, "You amaze me Timberlake, each and every day."

-----

"Remember when Uncle Doug ate the bowl and he-"

"CHICKEN!"

"YEAH. OK ummm, Treetops Park is known for..."

"Mountains..." Scott shook his head no vigorously at his sister. "Ohh ohhh, squirrels!!"

"OHH YEAH BABY! All right, on your 16th birthday dad took you on..."

"HELICOPTER!"

"All right, its something..."

BRNNNNNN.

Justin looked at Jen and then back at the Smith's who were counting how many words they had guessed correctly. The 4 of them had retreated to a deserted room in the house while they ate their dinner and played grueling matches of Taboo. The Smith's were on a team and were practically stomping on Justin and Jen.

"Ohh yeah, that's a record. We got 17 cards."

"That's just not possible." Jen said remembering how Justin and her thought they did good when they got 5 cards right.

"What it is, is NOT fair. You two know each other and know all these inside jokes. Me and Jen met like 2 hours ago."

"So..." Alex said, popping a potato chip in her mouth and taking a gulp from the red plastic cup that held her watered down Coke.

Justin looked back and forth between the siblings. "So, I say we spilt up the teams."

"That's stupid." Alex pouted.

"Come on, Lex. It is kinda unfair." Scott shrugged, switching places with Justin on the floor.

"Wait a minute, what if I want to be Jen's partner."

"Sorry." Justin smugly said getting situated beside Alex.

"Fine!" She said picking up the card holder and looking at Scott who had the timer ready.

"Ok, Ready, GO!" He shouted.

"Ok, ummm, something that you put on your face when it's bright outside."

"Uhh, sunscreen?"

Alex smacked him against his head. "Noo, idiot. It like blocks something."

"Sunscreen..."

"UGH!!! No, like..." Alex began to blink rapidly and opened her eyes wide to try and hint to him something. He just looked at her like she was crazy. "Ohh yeah, Oakley's is a brand of them."

"Sunglasses?"

"THANK YOU!" She flipped the card and smiled. "My job?"

"Bartender."

"Other job."

"Oh, baby-sitter."

She flipped the card telling him he got it correct but mumbled "Moron." underneath her breath.

"Wait a minute, job is a word on the card. You can't use that." Scott said, pointing to the card.

Alexandria just glared at him.

BRNNNN.

"You suck." Alex said punching Justin in the shoulder. "Hey, sorry, gosh. I don't spend my free-time perfecting my board game skills."

"Yeah you should be sorry."

Alex and Justin continued fighting as Jen and Scott took their turn at the game. Alexandria couldn't help but smile at Justin and Jen. Jen had calmed herself, and Justin had been more than understanding and kind to her. So far, the evening had been carefree, and just fun.

It was exactly was Alex had been needing.

"Ok, it's our turn. I'll show you how to work this thing." Justin said arrogantly taking the card holder and waiting for his signal to go.

They were doing ok and had got 3 words down when he stopped and chuckled.

"What, keep going.." Alex spoke, impatiently waiting for the next hint.

"Ok, what am I?"

"Huh?"

Justin repeated slower. "What am I?"

"Uhh, a guy, I hope." Alex giggled.

Justin rolled his eyes. "Nooo, just go, what am I?"

"I don't know, nice, annoying..." He gave her a bored look. "Stupid.."

"Lexia..."

She smiled and then got serious. "Ok, umm, sweet, kind, cute...caring, I don't know!! TALL!!" Justin just smiled at her answers. She was far from the word on the card but he could really care less.

"You aren't even close." He chuckled.

"Well, help me out." She exaggerated.

"Ok, umm Jennifer Lopez, Carson Daly, Tom Cruise, Britney, me and the guys, we are all..."

"Celebrities..."

He bit his lips anxiously. "Almost there, kinda another word for that."

Her mind wandered as she stuttered. "Uhhh, ummm... Famous?"

"YEAH!" BRNNN. Justin and the buzzer went off at the same time.

Jen snatched the holder from him, playing a playful game of tug-of-war until he finally let her have it. "All right, lets do this, Scott."

A knock was on the door and Kenny was leaning against the doorframe. "We are putting in the movie. It's Forrest Gump."

"Ohh, I love this movie." Alex said sincerely.

"Oh lord. She'll be quoting the damn thing for days." Scott groaned.

Justin chuckled and Jen stood up off the floor. "I'll clean up guys, you go on." Alex said.

Jen and Scott walked out of the room and Justin stayed in and helped her. "Go ahead Justin, save me a seat, will you?" She looked up at him and smiled.

"All right." He pushed himself off the floor and left Alex by herself to clean up the board game and their empty cups and plates.

She was having such a great time. It was relaxed and she didn't have to worry about anything. Most of the people there had watch a basketball game that was on TV and just lounged around the house. But she had played a board game. She realized how much she had missed the simple act of getting lost in something insignificant like a game.

Alexandria stood up and threw their trash away, on her way to the big living room where everyone was hanging out in. The movie had just started and she looked around the room for a seat. And she saw him.

He was sitting in the loveseat of all places, in the dark corner of the room. He raised his eyes to her and smiled as he patted the cushion beside him. She grinned uncomfortably and slowly made her way over people and pillows to the small couch.